Audio Link After Text
Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for April 4th, to the 10th, 2015.
As the Palestinian authority announced its intentions to take Israeli to the international criminal court, Israeli attacks leave three killed civilians this week. These stories, and more, coming up, stay tuned.
The Nonviolence Report
Let’s begin our weekly report as usual with the nonviolent activities organized in the West Bank. Ten civilians including a journalist and a child, were injured when Israeli forces attacked nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages on Friday. IMEMC’s Majd Batjali with the details:
Nine civilians including two children and a journalist were injured and many others were treated for the effect of tear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest organized by the villagers of Kufer Kadum in northern West Bank.
In central West Bank, at the villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin, Israeli soldiers attacked the protesters as soon as they reached the gate in the wall that separates local farmers from their lands. Many protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation and were treated by field medics at both locations. In Bil’in soldiers arrested one resident during the protest.
At the nearby al Nabi Saleh village, one youth was injured after troops attacked protesters at the village entrance. Israeli soldiers fired several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at protesters and nearby homes. Many residents suffered effects of tear gas inhalation as a result.
At the village of al Ma’ssara near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, soldiers attacked villagers and their international supporters as soon as they reached the entrance of the village and forced them back. No injuries were reported.
For IMEMC News this Majd Batjali.
The Political Report
This week as the Israeli Palestinian peace process is being stalled, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is to meet with Russian president, Vladimr Putin in Moscow. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari has more:
As Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been put on a halt for more than a year now, Palestinian president is to meet with his Russian counterpart over stalled peace. The two leaders are set to discuss ways to promote Palestinian-Russian cooperation on the economic front, as well as possible revival of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.
In the meantime, Israeli settlements activities continue on occupied Palestinian territories in both East Jerusalem and West Bank. This week, the Palestinian Authority refused to receive 130 million US dollars from Israel, in tax money, due to the PA. This was in response to deduction byIsrael of a large amount of those due funds.
Also, the PA is about to submit complaints to the International Court of Justice, after the latter recognized the PA among its member states. The submissions will include charges of war crimes and settlement activities, against present-day Israel.
At the internal Palestinian level, media reports suggested that a committee, formed by the Palestinian consensus government, would be assigned with taking control of border crossings, mainly the Rafah crossing terminal, shared with Egypt.
On the ground, no sign of such a breakthrough is yet to be seen, as the Rafah crossing terminal remains closed before thousands of stranded travelers, inside the Israel- besieged Gaza Strip.
For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week Israeli attacks leave three Palestinians killed in the West Bank. Meanwhile Israeli navy a ground troops continued to attack fishers and farmers in Gaza. One farmer was injured bear the boarders with coastal region. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura reports:
Israeli soldiers shot and killed, on Friday afternoon, a young Palestinian man during the funeral ceremony of a former political detainee at the village of Beit Ummer near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Ziad ‘Omar ‘Awad, 28 years of age, died by live round fired by Israeli troops who attacked mourners outside a local mosque in the town. The soldiers attacked the Palestinians, during the funeral procession of former political prisoner, Ja’far Ibrahim Awad, 22. Moreover, many residents were moved to local hospitals,
including some who suffered serious injuries, local sources reported.
Ja’far was moved to the Intensive Care Unit after his release from an Israeli detention center three months ago, after suffering serious health complications.
Also on Friday, four Palestinian youth were injured during clashes with Israeli soldiers in different part of the central West Bank city of Ramallah. Medical sources said that all four sustained moderate wounds after being shot by live rounds fired by Israeli soldiers.
Earlier in the week, Israeli soldiers shot and killed, on Wednesday morning, a young Palestinian man, north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, allegedly after he stabbed two soldiers, causing serious wounds to one of them. Israeli sources said that the attack took place close to Ma’ale Levona settlement, and that the Palestinian is from Sinjel nearby village. The wounded soldiers received treatment by Israeli medics, and were moved to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center, in Jerusalem.
Also on Wednesday, A group of Israeli extremists invaded Palestinian olive orchards in the al-Jab’a village, near the West Bank city of Bethlehem, for the fifth time in a row, and cut more than 150 olive trees belonging to the villagers. Local residents said that they depend on their orchards as their main source of livelihood.
On Monday night, Israeli soldiers attacked, and injured, a Palestinian man in Yatta town near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Media sources said the soldiers assaulted Mohammad Qatouf, in his forties, from Yatta town south of Hebron, and continuously beat him causing various cuts and bruises.
In Gaza this week, a number of armored Israeli military vehicles carried out, on Monday morning, a limited invasion into Palestinian lands, southeast of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Media sources in Khan Younis said the soldiers first opened fire from military towers in the Kissufim base, across the border; no injuries were reported. Following the shooting, at least four Israeli army bulldozers and a few vehicles, stationed in the Sofa army base, advanced nearly 200 meters into Palestinian lands, and conducted military searches in the area.
Also on Monday, Israeli navy ships opened fire on a number of Palestinian fishing boats in Gaza territorial waters, close to the shore, near Rafah in the southern part of the coastal region. The attack forced the fishers back to shore; the fishers managed to escape the attack physically unharmed.
On Friday, Israeli soldiers opened fire at farmers near the southern Gaza Strip borders with Israeli and injured one of them. Local sources said that the farmer sustained moderate wounds.
For IMEMC News this is Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura.
Conclusion
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for April 4th, to the 10th, 2015. From the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www.imemc.org. This week’s report has been brought to you George Rishmawi and me Ghassan Bannoura.
